£600k raised by virtual kiltwalk

Dundee kiltwalkers have raised more than £600,000 for struggling charities after the annual event went virtual at the weekend.

Walkers raised £300,000 themselves but this was doubled by philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter.

The cash will be split among more than 200 charities chosen by participants, who donned the traditional Scots attire while taking part in their chosen activity.

The event usually sees thousands take to the streets to walk varying distances up to 25 miles between St Andrews and Carnoustie.

Sir Tom said the amount raised shows the generous spirit of Scotland during a testing time.

He said: “I realise that many charities are in desperate straits because so many events have been wiped-out by the Covid pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.

“Charities are struggling to help people who need support like never before.

“When I saw great people going out in all weather over the weekend walking, cycling, kayaking and more for what they care about, I knew the Hunter Foundation wanted to match these efforts pound for pound.

“The extraordinary generosity of people in Scotland at a time of real challenge just sums up Scotland for me – a nation of people who care for one another; we can’t lose that spirit going forward.”

Among the local charities that will benefit are the Be More Ruby charity, established to fund research into the rare cancer that took the life of six-year-old Ruby Stewart from Perth earlier this year, which received £21,000 after the £10,500 raised by walkers was doubled.

Ruby walked the Dundee Kiltwalk last year, raising £3,300 for research into the disease with the help of supporters.

Kiltwalk chief executive Paul Cooney said: “As we continue to move through lockdown, hundreds of charities up and down the country are experiencing real turmoil, facing redundancies, reduction of vital services, and in most cases, facing an acute loss of revenue.

“Our trusty Dundonians didn’t disappoint us and we saw kiltwalkers marching in their gardens, cycling in their local areas and doing their bit to help the organisations close to their hearts.

“Sir Tom’s generosity will go a long way in supporting Scotland’s charities during a time when they really need it.”

To date in 2020, kiltwalkers in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, despite not being able to walk together as planned, have raised more than £1.2 million for charities of their choice, with the Hunter Foundation doubling this sum.